Man excited to see his 'small idea' brought to life

A man is “excited” to see his “small idea” come to life.

Luke Fawcett is the brains behind Queer Spaces - a new archive exhibition celebrating the “vibrant, humble and sometimes filthy LGBTQ+ spaces of Liverpool's past, present and future”.

The 24-year-old, who lives in the city centre, came up with the idea three years ago after he moved to the city to study architecture at the University of Liverpool and “quickly realised there wasn’t a lot of information on queer spaces - the history of them or where they existed”.

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Using people's memories, personal photographs and records, Luke, originally from Bradford, hopes to collect and share the fascinating tales behind Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ buildings.

The urban designer, who is queer himself, aims to “shed light on the people and their selfless resistance that has made these spaces possible” - some spaces which are now lost, demolished and repurposed, including the Magic Clock and Jody's Nightclub.

He told the ECHO: “It feels amazing for me. It started off just as a small idea and now being able to see it turn into something people can visit and learn from is amazing.

“The biggest thing for me is this just started from when I just wanted to learn about my history and my community’s history. There is no built heritage for queer people and if there is, it is often hidden and lost.

“I feel really excited to be able to share this now with everyone.”

After Luke’s first sold-out event as part of Homotopia Festival 2023, Architecture practice ‘Unit3 Design Studio’ will be hosting the immersive exhibition in the Baltic Triangle.

Unit3’s director Martin Shutt added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to work with and host Luke’s amazing collection of artefacts, art, building plans and personal photos, and is a great opportunity for the public to learn about Liverpool’s queer heritage, history and culture.

"As an LGBTQ-owned business, we are honoured to play a small part in introducing the architectural heritage of our home city to a wider audience.”

The exhibition will be open from Monday, June 3 until Monday, November 11 from 2-4 pm at the Jordan Street venue.

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